Curry receives grant to develop school principals

Curry College received a nearly $300,000 grant to develop the next generation of principals

MILTON – Curry College has received a grant to develop the next generation of school principals.

The Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education recently awarded Curry, one of only three colleges statewide to receive the money, a $288,000 grant to educate and train school principals.

Grant monies will be used to cover 50 percent of the cost of tuition for students who enroll in the Principal Licensure Certificate program that begins in August.

At the end of this school year, Massachusetts school districts will need to fill more than 100 leadership positions.

According to the 2011 Status of the Massachusetts Educator Workforce Report, only 72 percent of principals were retained in the state over a two-year period, and even fewer were retained in their schools.

Curry’s program aims to address these retention concerns among principals. The certificate program was approved by the education department in 2013.

The principal licensure program lasts 14 months and allows students to complete some of their coursework online.